We often hear about toxic work environments in the media. We’re asked to know the signs: notice contempt, punishment, disrespect, and ridicule. In certain environments, the toxicity is subtle – often leaving folks wondering if it’s toxic or not. The Great Resignation and “quiet quitting” further put into perspective what burnout can do to the workforce and what employees are willing to trade off.

I avoid using diagnostic terms in pop culture or non-mental-health conversations, but, in this case, it’s applicable. A lot of us have gone through some variation of work PTSD.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an anxiety disorder characterized by psychological and physical symptoms following a catastrophic life event. These life events tend to be related to threats of death or severe injury to themselves or others. For work-related PTSD, the trauma derives from threatening an employee’s sense of safety and control. Examples include employers who yell at or intimidate employees, toxic power dynamics, emergency settings, and environments where employees witness painful and distressing events. For many of us, the goal is to survive through the chaos, but there’s been little support around what happens once you leave.

There was a time when I worked at a creative agency owned by a famous musician. On paper, the job seemed like a dream – I was the key liaison between a music platform and a record label, building an umbrella campaign to find the next superstar. Over time, the dream faltered, as it does, and I was coming home in tears every night. For one, I was constantly berated by a manager at the record label. He would often yell at me during calls in front of others, demanding if I knew who the fuck he was (his words, not mine). Not to mention, the work itself was grueling, and I was putting in at least 16 hours a day on top of other campaign work. Later in my tenure, we worked on a popular retailer’s rebranding while the company was short-staffed. I quit on the spot when the creative director threw my computer.

The roots of PTSD can also be understated. At a once-hot startup, my manager once told me we had hired someone else because they were a better, much more senior version of me. They said it as if they were reporting the weather. This was also when I was the only operations person, literally holding the company together post-launch. This was the same person who once told another coworker that it was their company, so, more or less, to back off when making decisions about creative matters. The irony is that this person has publicly said that the company actually caused them to have a mental breakdown and that their employees were a general cause for their demise. This was the same person who also called me right after they laid off the company and wanted to let me know that they firmly believed it was still a billion-dollar company. Ego is one hell of a drug.

All this to say, this shit is crazy.

I’m barely scratching the surface of what has happened to others.

We talk a lot about resilience in therapy and in work, especially when it comes to navigating ambiguity. But what happens when we’re starting on shaky ground? What does that mean when someone’s been torn down by their employer and expects a positive reframing from their new boss? What happens when you’ve been gaslit by management? How do you rebuild trust in yourself?

I’m a therapist and have progressed pretty well in my career, but even now, I get intrusive thoughts about whether I did a good job or made an impact. I hear the voice in my head that says, “Well, she was better than you.” Or even worse, feeling unimportant or insignificant.

If this has happened to you, I want to say I’m sorry. No one deserves to be treated less than.

I don’t take it lightly when employees tell me that their previous work experience has led them to fear their new work environment. I often think about how I can provide a better experience that helps course-correct or, at the very least, challenges their perception of work. Regardless of whether it’s present or in the past, I do recommend getting professional support – there are evidence-based techniques that can help you intervene and build a safer internal foundation to work from.

I think that when entering a new work environment, being aware of the triggers or experiences that may cause stress will be informative and preventive. The thing with PTSD is that it doesn’t ever go away, but we can work with it if you’re open to it.

This isn’t my usual hot take on all things people, but I definitely think it’s worth addressing.

work ptsd is real – I hope you get support!